South Sudan President Salva Kiir signed a peace deal with rebels on August 26 after a threat of an arms embargo and sanctions against Juba proposed by the US

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his South Sudan’s counterpart Barnaba Marial Benjamin are due to meet in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss inter-Sudanese dialogue and bilateral relations.

At the meeting, the sides are also scheduled to consider preparation for trilateral talks to be attended by Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour. Moscow’s consultations will be held in line with Russia’s initiative on normalizing ties between Khartoum and Juba, the Foreign Ministry said.

The inter-Sudanese dialogue at the ministerial level in Moscow is "unprecedented and shows serious interest of Sudan and South Sudan in the partnership and close cooperation with Russia in the issues linked to normalizing relations."

Moscow hopes that progress will be made towards finding a solution to the disputed issues and confirming the format of a constructive dialogue.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir signed a peace deal with rebels on August 26 after a threat of an arms embargo and sanctions against Juba proposed by the US.

The UN Security Council plans to update swiftly the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission to support implementation of the agreement.

The situation in South Sudan has remained unstable since the country gained independence in 2011. The conflict that broke out in the country in 2013 between the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups has claimed the lives of nearly 10,000 people, more than 2.2 million South Sudanese had to leave their homes.